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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24431962">A Growing Awareness</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/crestedhearts'>crestedhearts (orphan_account)</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Red Strings (Sephiroth) [6]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Final Fantasy VII Remake (Video Game 2020)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Soulmates, F/M</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-05-29</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-05-29</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-04 08:08:20</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,337</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24431962</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/crestedhearts</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Reno offers you a job that requires your mercenary skills, requested by Rufus Shinra personally. You neither want to do it or obey his every whim.</p><p>Sephiroth is vulnerable, if only for a few moments, and allows you in, but you would never have known otherwise.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Sephiroth (Compilation of FFVII)/Reader</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Red Strings (Sephiroth) [6]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1757899</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>8</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>85</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>A Growing Awareness</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"SO, [NAME], WE HAVE A proposition for you."</p><p>Reno, ever flashy in his nice suit, and Rude, who was carefully pouring you tea after refusing to allow you to do it, had cornered you in your shop sometime after closing. Sephiroth had made good on his promise to escort you, and told you in very simple terms that he would be back again to continue your conversation. If he came into contact with the two Turks, however, there would be bloodshed, you had no doubt; death was the last thing you wanted these days.</p><p>     "Thank you, Rude," you said, thanking him when he handed you your cup of tea. He nodded imperceptibly at you. "What kind of proposition? I'm afraid there's not a lot I can do for you."</p><p>        Reno grinned. "See, that's the thing--there's plenty you can do for us. You see, I've been digging up some of your old files--"</p><p>      You went rock solid. Slamming the tea cup down on the table, you fixed him with a look that could curdle blood, mouth pulled into a firm line, daring him to continue. You felt Rude, beside you, spook just a little. "How dare you."</p><p>      "--and I found out some very interesting tidbits about you. Would you like to hear them?"</p><p>       "Do I even have a choice?" You sneered. Your amicable nature had taken the back burner and the mercenary was taking its place, ready to spill blood and cut throats. "I assume you're going to tell me anyway."</p><p>       Reno produced a thick manila file from inside his blazer, slapping it down on the rickety table with an audible smack. There were red sticky tabs labeled on the parts he thought were important, yellow ones and blue ones and green ones that you didn't know the meaning of.</p><p>       "[Name] [Surname]," he began in a mocking tone, flipping to your diagnostics page. "Twenty-three. Female. Originally born in Sector Two, moved to Sector Seven at nineteen. Daughter of [M/Name] and [F/Name], head Shinra executives."</p><p>        You squeezed your eyes shut. "Stop."</p><p>      "Form occupation: mercenary." His tone got more sardonic the more he read. The more he got closer to the information you tried to forget about for hours at a time, that never ceased bothering you every waking moment. "Charted casualties: six thousand. Known kill count: fifteen thousand. You were a busy woman, weren't you?"</p><p>      "I said stop."</p><p>       "And here's the interesting part," Reno hummed, flipping to another red tab, another part of your life that killed you to relive. "After a week in Hojo's lab, you suddenly retired. Packed up and shipped out to Sector Seven without any prior word otherwise. Set up a little tea shop. No one looks twice at the blind woman, except you aren't blind and you aren't as innocent as you make yourself out to be."</p><p>       You couldn't take it anymore. You were across the table and wrapping your hands around Reno's pale throat, fingers digging into muscle and the hard cartilage of his esophagus, eyes boring holes into his own. Rude tried to pull you away, but you held fast, some supernatural strength rooting you there, threatened.</p><p>       "I said, stop it," you seethed, ignoring the feel of scalding tea seeping into the skin of your abdomen. You would have burns there, later. "Shut the hell up and tell me what you want. There's no reason for you to educate me on my past."</p><p>        When you finished speaking, you released him roughly, slowly reclining back in your chair when Rude released you, relieved you weren't going to lunge at his partner again.</p><p>        "Sorry, [Name]," Rude began, no doubt referring to the giant imprints of his hands that would be left on your hips from his pulling you away from Reno. You hadn't even realized how hard until the pain set in, brutal and aching. "I'll get you a potion."</p><p>        "No need," you huffed, pulling your shirt away from your stomach. The skin was already raw and hot; you guessed second degree burns by the feel of it. "Either you get to talking, Reno, or get out and never come back."</p><p>        He was still rubbing his throat, red hair downcast over his eyes, and you made out the imprints of your fingers around his neck like a suffocating ring. You felt somewhat guilty about it and felt the urge to apologize, but the smug smile on his face made you take it back and want to give him a nice shiner in the eye.</p><p>       "Fine then. President Rufus. He wants you to reinstate your merc services." He leaned back in his chair, though he kept a hand on his baton, you noticed. "He has need of your skillset."</p><p>        "What?" You mocked, mimicking the tone he had used on you before. "Turks not good enough for the mighty Rufus Shinra that he has to hire a retired mercenary?"</p><p>        You relished in the irritation beginning to show on Reno's face.</p><p>       "Look. It's three million gil a gig. Take it or leave it. As for your answer, you have a few months before you'll be needed. I'm sure you can come up with a good one by then."</p><p>        In short, you couldn't tell them no, and you were going to be seeing Rufus Shinra earlier than you had intended, which had just gone from never in a million years to right in a few months. Unless you wanted your life ruined, you had to go. Had to obey, like a dog.</p><p>        "Get out," you hissed. "Get. Out."</p><p>        Reno smirked and waved for Rude to stand, the both of them heading to the door.</p><p>       "You have my card if you make your decision early."</p><p>      Once the damned Turks were out of your building, you flipped the open sign to closed and began tearing your shirt off to let the burn breathe. You left it somewhere on the stairs and fumbled for your first aid kit, pulling out a sanitary wipe and burn gel that Tifa had helped you procure at an insanely cheap price.</p><p>        "Damn," you cursed, feeling the scissors drop from your fingers. You instead ripped the packet of burn gel open with your teeth and spread it across your stomach generously, laying back on your bed and sighing in relief when the powerful sting of the burn went away in a rush of cold. "Much better…"</p><p>        "Three million gil is a lot of money. You should take it."</p><p>        You jerked upwards with a shriek, nearly shoving the first aid kit on the floor in your haste to cover your chest. Your shirt had been padded, so you hadn't worried too much about wearing a bra, but now you could very well say that you were regretting that decision now.</p><p>        Sephiroth sat in the same chair he had before, one ankle crossed over his knee, an insanely long katana balanced on his thighs. He didn't seem particularly bored, or as if he had been waiting long. His cat-eye stare was fixed on your face, watching, waiting for an answer; he didn't even look down at your breasts once. You weren't sure if you should be disappointed, relieved, or both.</p><p>       You swallowed thickly. "How much did you hear?"</p><p>         "Enough." He gave you a shrug that seemed entirely out of character for him. "I see you were burned."</p><p>        "I spilled some tea," you explained quickly, eyebrows furrowed,"but… What are you doing here? I didn't even hear you come inside--"</p><p>        "I used teleportation materia." He leaned over and plucked a red orb from your letter drawer, rolling it between his fingers. "Your turn."</p><p>        You huffed and, seeing he wasn't going to look at you in an intimate way anytime soon, went to the bathroom to pull on your robe. It was one you had splurged on at Aerith's urging, saying it was soft and comfortable. You had slept in it on many occasions, sometimes when the weather got too hot or the sun lamps were too concentrated.</p><p>         With your back turned in the threshold of the bathroom, working furiously at the knot you had tied into the belt, you wouldn't have noticed those green-blue eyes admiring the panes of your back, darting from the back of your neck to the dip in your spine near the hem of your pants.</p><p>        You finally got the belt untied and pulled on the robe with a grimace, adjusting the tightness so you wouldn't have the fibers sticking to the burn gel. You probably should have put gauze on it or something, but in your panic at seeing Sephiroth and being half naked, you had forgotten all about it.</p><p>      The robe hung open as a result, but you could easily hide your chest by crossing your arms. When you were satisfied, you turned back and began picking up the burn gel and supplies, tucking them away in the first aid kit.</p><p>        "You aren't going to take it?"</p><p>        "Take what?" You asked.</p><p>        "The Turk's offer."</p><p>        "I don't really have a choice, do I?" You brushed hair away from your face and sat down parallel to him, reasonably positioned on the edge of your bed. "What Rufus Shinra wants, he gets. He'll make my life a living hell if I don't."</p><p>        "You could always leave," Sephiroth suggested. "Leave Midgar. I doubt he would follow."</p><p>      You smiled sadly and looked out your window where Seventh Heaven's lights glowed brightly. You could pick out Tifa and Cloud sitting on the steps, pointing towards Jessie and Wedge who were encouraging Biggs to guzzle a drink. You even saw Marlene and Barret sitting outside as well, but you weren't able to tell what they were doing.</p><p>      "I can't leave." You stroked the soft cotton of your robe idly. "Even if I wanted to. I have friends here… Friends I consider family. I couldn't leave them like that. It wouldn't be right."</p><p>        "Then you would have to take the offer," Sephiroth concluded, uncrossing his legs. He left his sword on the chair and approached you, standing uncomfortably close. You edged back and leaned against the window frame to allow him to see outside as well. "Rufus Shinra will go after them if you don't."</p><p>        "I know. He's smarter than his father, I'll give him that."</p><p>        "Smarter and nearly twice as clever." He shook his head. "What that Turk said--is it true?"</p><p>        "What part?" You hummed, watching as Wedge approached Cloud and began talking animatedly. You would get nothing out of being dishonest; he had heard everything, after all. The least you could do was be honest. "The mercenary thing, or…"</p><p>         "Both. The mercenary part, and Hojo's experiments."</p><p>        He sounded testy, like he was weighing his options and those options rested on what you told him.</p><p>       "The mercenary part is simple." You looked at him from underneath your lashes, somewhat startled by the intensity he was looking at you with. You had almost thought he had pilfered your personal files, but it seemed not. He knew as much about you as you did him. "I worked as one for about nine or so years, racked up an ostentatious kill count. Got sick, went to Hojo, and he screwed everything up. I left, he never pursued, to make a long story short. I doubt he even knew what he was doing. He only wanted a test subject."</p><p>         "I see." Sephiroth went quiet, seemingly content with that answer. "You didn't have to tell me. So, thank you. [Name]."</p><p>        You couldn't help the butterflies that erupted in your stomach at the sound of your name. It was better than you had imagined it to be. "It was a long time ago. It bothers me sometimes when I don't talk about it."</p><p>       "Of course. Most things do."</p><p>       When you looked up, you caught that glimmer in his eye--that spark of life and consciousness that he had never seemed to have before. An awareness of the world, you had to guess, or an appreciation of reality, as if he had come out of a long sleep and was just now seeing things for the first time.</p><p>        You had to wonder what it was like to be a SOLDIER, to live in that mindset for so long that you couldn't distinguish between yourself and the weapon that you had become. Cloud had certainly struggled with it, but he had Tifa; Sephiroth had no one, would not allow himself to be vulnerable to you in that way. He seemed to be slowly coming out of in all on his own, that dangerous aura receding to allow something genuine and almost pure to rise to the surface: thankfulness.</p><p>        But with that self awareness came problems. You had to face the bad things you had done and the things you would still do before you ever came to terms with your new existence. You would know; you had spent two years curled up in one of Merle's apartments, only eating, drinking, sleeping, and despairing over your previous actions. The people you had killed.</p><p>       So you decided to make him an offer, even if he wouldn't accept it.</p><p>       "Hey," you said, your voice a whisper. Any louder and it might break the silent peace that had developed in the room. "If you want to talk about it, I'm here. I might not know much about SOLDIER stuff, but…" You shrugged awkwardly. "I'll be here."</p><p>        He didn't smile, but you could see a miniscule grin on his face, just the tiniest pull of his lips. He didn't acknowledge it, though, and continued looking out the window until you slumped against the sill with a yawn, eyes heavy lidded and hazy.</p><p>       Sephiroth helped you to your bed when you stumbled, pulling the blankets over you when you flopped down onto your pillow with a groan at the pull of the burn on your abdomen.</p><p>        As you closed your eyes and tried to force yourself to sleep, you felt the feather soft brush of lips on your cheek, felt his breath on your ear as he whispered.</p><p>        "Thank you."</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I was so tempted to put in a kiss scene. So tempted. But I didn't, because this is a slow burn fic and I don't want to ruin that.</p><p>I should also say thay "my" version of Sephiroth comes from Final Fantasy Peasant's video theory about him, since the many different versions of him we see in the new game aren't the same one, and that by the end he's starting to snap out of that Jenova-possessed state and realizes what he must do.</p><p>Check out that video if you have the time, it was really inspiring to me! ♡</p><p>As always, let me know what you thought about the chapter!</p></blockquote></div></div>
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